Slovenia was previously one of the six parts of Yugoslavia before it became an independent country in 1991. It's bordered by Austria to the north, Italy on the west side, Hungary to the northeast, and Croatia to the southeast. There are some wonderful sights that Slovenia has to offer. This article covers how to plan a trip there!

Steps

1

Know the climate of Slovenia. The climate is Mediterranean, but this only applies to the coast. The climate is also continental, there being summers which have mild to hot weather, as well as colder weather in the eastside plateaus and valleys.

2

Know, or learn, one of the languages spoken. The majority of the Slovenian population speaks the language of Slovenian (or Slovene), which is their native language. Thus, it would be a good idea to brush up on that language. Some people also speak Hungarian, Italian, and even German!

Hello (Pozdravljeni, zivjo, or zdravo - used in cities). Use "halo" when talking on the phone.

Always be aware of which region you are in. There won't be anybody who can speak German on the Croatian coast and vice versa. In many restaurants, there are menus in different languages, and sometimes they are even included in one menu. Just ask for it!

3

Know where the different regions of Slovenia are located. They are the Coast and Karst, Julian Alps, Central Slovenia, Southeastern Slovenia and two others. These regions are described below.

Coast and Karst -- this region contains the cities of Ilirska Bistrica, Piran, Postojna, and Sezana. Basically, it's the southwestern portion of Slovenia and it includes caves, hills and the coastline.

Julian Alps -- consists of Bled, Idrija, Jesenice and Triglav National Park. It has enormous northwest lakes and Mount Triglav.

Central Slovenia -- this region is home to the capital, Ljubljana. It also contains the cities of Kamnik and Kranj.

Southeastern Slovenia -- Dolenjske Toplice, Kocevje, and Novo Mesto. This is the southeastern region which includes the rivers of Krka and lower Sava.

4

Know the cities. There are several cities in Slovenia, including the capital, Ljubljana, Maribor, Celje, Kranj, Novo Mesto, Nova Gorica, Koper/Capodistria, and Velenje. Ljubljana is the largest city, and Maribor is the second-largest.

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Getting In

1

Know the entry requirements. The Schengen Agreement applies to Slovenia, which means that there is no border control. However, there is border control in Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus Ireland, UK and Romania. There may be checks at customs, but there are no immigration checks. If you are a Schengen member, you can gain a visa that is valid in all other countries that have both signed and executed this treaty.

2

Take the bus. You can find more information about airport and international bus services from the Ljubljana Bus Station website. During weekdays, connecting buses between Trieste, Italy and Kober and Piran (both Slovenian cities/towns) are often available. In addition, everyday bus trips between Trieste and Ljubljana are available, as well as trips between Gorizia, Italy and Nova Gorica, Slovenia at least once an hour. This trip can also be done by walking.

3

Take a flight! Slovenia's main international airport is the Ljubljana Airport and the central part of the national carrier Adria Airways, which provides flights to several cities across Europe with connecting flights to Southeast Europe.

Additionally, the Irish Ryanair services flights from Dublin to Pula across the Croatian border. You can also get to western Slovenia from the Trieste Airport in Italy, and you'd need an hour's drive to get to Ljubljana by highway. You can also take the airport in Klagenfurt, Austria, or the Italian Treviso Airport which provides other entryways to Slovenia.

4

Take the train. There are very good connections with every neighboring country, except for Italy; there are gaps in railway connections in Italy. The most popular connecting routes are found to connect with Vilach or Vienna in Austria, Budapest in Hungary, and Zagreb in Croatia. Travelers can also use the poorer railway connection from other points in Italy, in order to reach Gorizia.

Some destinations offer special international routes, and some even provide contingency tickets that can sell out quickly, but typically they are very cheap. There are also City Star tickets for return trips that are going somewhere from Slovenia.

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What to Do and See

1

Check out The National Museum of Slovenia. The address is Presernova 20; the entrance from Muzejka Street. It's located in Ljubljana, and it's the biggest and oldest Slovene museum, first opened in 1821. In 1888, the museum building on Museum Street was built. The museum currently contains an extensive collection of beneficial objects! Some are even ancient, dating all the way back to the Stone Age, but there are more modern ones as well.

There is also a new building on the Metelkova, Maistrova Street 1, and it consists of collections of the art traditions of Slovenia. The permanent exhibit contains a lot of applied arts from the 14th century to today.

2

Take a visit to Ljubljana. There are many buildings which come from the time when Slovenia was still a part of Austro-Hungary. Furthermore, there aren't many tourists and it's cheaper than many of the European capital cities.

3

See one of the pure and cultural pearls in Savinja and Salek Valley. They are Logar Valley Landscape Park with the amazing Rinka Waterfall, the Solcava Panoramic Road (which includes beautiful vistas on Kamnik-Savinja Alps), the Cathedral of St Mohor and Fortunat in Gornji Grad, Snezna jama Cave (the highest cave for tourists in Slovenia), and the Coal Mining Museum which has three Velenje lakes.

4

Go to one of the rivers or mountains in the Julian Alps or the Kamnik-Savinja Alps. They are great for skiing, mountain biking, kayaking and ratting.

5

See one of the caves in the southern part of Slovenia.

6

Check out the alpine resort in Bled as well as its lake. There are tremendous stalactites and stalagmites in Postojna caves, and those have graffiti that show that the first tourists visited in 1213.

7

Check out Savinja and Salek Valley. There are several cities there that are very much worth seeing:

Solcava - found in the deep and constricted valley of the Savinja River. It received the award of European Union EDEN, or European Union Destination of Excellence, in 2009 in relation to tourism and protected places in Slovenia. It's one of the best places for those who are seeking relaxation in clean nature, hiking in beautiful mountains and enjoying delicious local food from eco farms.

Make sure you get a chance to see Solcava Panoramic Road with great vistas on the Kamnik-Savinja Alps, Landscape Parks (Logar, Matkov kot, and Robanov kot). There are over 100 natural wonders, too!

Gornji Grad - part of the European Climate Alliance. It's located at the bottom of Menini Plateau, and it attracts many visitors because many people like to see the Church of St. Mohor and St. Fortunatus, the biggest baroque building in Slovenia.

Luce - a subalpine valley and one of the best places to mountaineer and visit farms for tourists. The most prominent tourist attraction there is Snezna jama Cave under Mt Raduha, a one-of-a-kind "pearl" of high karst mountains. In addition, there's Najarze, which contains the Vrbovec Castle and Franciscan Monastery. It's a great place to visit!